Dear Agony AuntsAfter struggling to adjust to law school, and dealing with some personal issues, I was given advice to drop one of my subjects. Maybe it is the sensible thing to do, but I feel like a failure, what should I do?

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Sincerely, Not Keeping Up

Dear Not Keeping Up,

That feeling of falling behind and not keeping up is pretty common law school territory. Because it is so time consuming to study, when life or health issues arise it is going to interfere with course work and make you feel like you’re behind. If you’ve received advice to drop a subject, hopefully it’s from the student well being coordinator. If not, it would be a good idea to make an appointment with her so that you can talk it over with someone who has a good grasp of the demands of the course and what options you have available.

If you do need to withdraw from a subject, it doesn’t make you a failure. When prospective employers look at your transcript they’re going to see your marks, not whether you did three subjects one semester and picked up one in the summer, and they’re not going to pat you on the back for sticking with it and barely passing four. So if you do need to drop one, keep in mind that what you’re doing is ensuring better marks, as well as making your life a bit easier at a time when you need to.